US lawmakers for Egypt aid cut

US lawmakers yesterday called for cutting off military aid to Egypt after its security forces killed hundreds of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in a four-day "massacre."
US Senator John McCain, who called for suspending the $1.3 billion in annual aid to the military after it overthrew Morsi in early July, said Washington risked losing credibility if it continued to turn a blind eye to the bloody crackdown.
"They have orchestrated a massacre," he said, after the four-day death toll from mass shootings and street clashes climbed to more than 800 people.
"We have no credibility. We do have influence, but when you don't use that influence, then you do not have that influence," McCain, a Republican hawk and frequent critic of Obama's foreign policy, told CNN's "State of the Union."
McCain suggested Washington could pressure Egypt's generals by cutting off aid, spare parts for US-made military equipment and backing for an International Monetary Fund loan to relieve the country's devastated economy.
Obama last week canceled joint military exercises but has yet to suspend aid to Egypt, a key Middle East ally and one of just two Arab countries to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.
Democratic Senator Blumenthal said the administration should "condition our future aid on specific steps toward the rule of law and the return to democracy."
"We shouldn't cut off all aid. ... there is more opportunity to protect American interests if we work with the military," he said on "Fox News Sunday."